What is Next?

Where will I go from here?
It seems like a simple questions but when I think more about it I realize it is a very complex question. As we have learned more and more about the lack of diversity of children's literature, I have realized the importance of it in the classroom. I know that even though I may not find something offensive, others may.
Some differences that people have are easy to see; like race, or gender. However, the ones that are not physical are often the ones that people feel the most strongly about.
I have decided that it is my duty as a teacher to make sure my students can experience and talk about these important and complex topics like religion and sexual orientation in a safe place where they can discuss things that they may feel ashamed or confused about when talking to others.
I also have decided that I will start researching and paying closer attention to the books I chose for my own library as well as looking and campaigning for my school library to get more books that show multicultural literature in a positive way. I don't want to see the only Jewish literature to be about the holocaust. There is so much more to learn than that!
I also want to instill in my students the importance of not making generalizations, being open to learning about others and their culture, and also being able to stand up for people when they hear someone making a generalization about a group of people. Most of all I want my students to have compassion and be more knowledgeable about the many wonderful differences we have as humans.

Reflection of Final Project

As I look at the collection of books I selected for my topic which is books about children with chronic illnesses, I feel satisfied by them.
The books are by no means perfect, but I am happy that they are at least at the library available for children to look through and read and begin to think about how the characters and similar and different to them. It also gives me hope that children who are affected by serious illnesses, or physical deformities find a connection in some of the books I chose or the others that are available in bookstores and libraries.
However, I am concerned by the lack of good, accurate novels that do not portray stereotypes of people with physical and mental disabilities. The most common problem I found when looking at books were the many generalizations that are made. For example, if the book is about autism, it seems that the characters exudes characteristics that are commonly thought of when thinking of a person with autism, but other characteristics are left out completely. It is important that there are a wide variety of books so that children can see the many different types of people and the complexities that arise when dealing with a chronic illness.
I also hope that libraries, especially school libraries, take notice of the importance of including these types of books because students are curious about these types of things because often asking a person about a deformity or an illness can be uncomfortable and seen as rude. By reading about characters that are not stereotypes students can get a glimpse of a day in the life of a person going through the many ups and downs that come with a disability whether it is physical or mental.

Lizard

Covington, Dennis. Lizard. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books, 1991.
Lizard is a book about a boy who was born with a physical deformity of his face. He lives with a woman who decides he needs to go to the Leesville Louisiana State School for Retarded Boys even though he is not mentally disabled. He runs away with a traveling play and in the process learns about himself and what it means to have compassion for people and have people care about him.
This book started a little slow. The boy is relatable, however his home life is very complex and it is hard to understand the relationship he has with the woman he lives with. Once he goes to the State School, there is some great characters introduced but there is not much development of these characters. When Lizard escapes he is able to learn how to use his deformity to his advantage as well as learn that he must accept this deformity and understand it is part of his identity.
This book is a good piece of diverse literature because it helps the reader become more aware of the troubles someone with a physical deformity would encounter during everyday life. The reason I would be hesitant to read it in a class is because there are some sexual references that are what a normal teenage boy learning about himself may encounter. This book creates a lot of complex relationships that are very believable and make it a real page turner.

Diary of an Anorexic Girl

Menzie, Morgan. Diary of an Anorexic Girl. Nashville: W Group, 2003.
This book is about a teenage girl who is struggling with trying to fit in at her school. She decides that the only way to get people to look at her in a positive way is to be skinnier. It is then that she decides to become anorexic. She also brings religion into her story by talking about how God has affected if she has lost weight or not.
This book is based on the true story of what the author went through while battling anorexia. At the beginning she talks about different characters in the book and how they are related to people in her life. She also writes about the reason that she wrote the book and how it has helped her get through her weight problems.
This is a good piece of diverse literature because it speaks openly and honestly about a Christian girl who feels completely unhappy with herself. It is a character that is so real that she is very easy to relate to. She could be any girl of any race or cultural. The only thing that distinguishes her is her religion and the importance it plays in her journey of self discovery. It does not make light of the issue, however, it offers hope and shows the positive side that a person can get through it. The relationships and the self discovery the character goes through is very typical and relatable. The fact that there is so much religion in the text may make it less relatable for some readers but I think it can also educate them on how the relationship with God can be different for different people.

That Summer

Johnston, Tony. That Summer. San Diego: Harcourt, 2002.
This book is spoken through the voice of a boy whose brother has Leukemia and the many trials and tribulations that the boys go through when they realize they only have one summer left together. The illustrations are colorful until the boy learns he is sick. At this point the pictures become more like old photographs. There is one colorful picture in the middle which depicts friends that came caroling in July to try to get the sick boy out of bed. Also the very last illustration is colorful and shows a boy (the brother who was not sick) with a shaved head holding a dog.
The author wrote the book after losing a brother herself, although she does not say specifically how he died. She also states that she wrote this book to “honor the courage and young people who died and of those who loved them” (back flap).
The book is one that does not explain about a specific illness besides mentioning having his head shaved, but rather the grieving and what the family goes through when finding out the boy, Joey, is dying. It also gives insight into how Joey takes everything with a sense of humor.
This is a great book for diverse literature because this topic can be really hard for children to talk about and this book can bring up the topic in a noninvasive and positive way. It talks about dying in a way that makes it seem real, but not too scary. It also is able to stimulate discussions about death that would help children talk about the fears they may have about death.

The Flight of a Dove

Day, Alexandra. The Flight of a Dove. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2004.
This book is based on a true story about a child with autism who shows no interest in any one until she meets a special bird. The illustrations of the child are black, white, and brown colored and the child is pictured with a box around her. Outside of the box is colorful. As the child becomes more outgoing more colors come into her box. Finally a dove impacts her so much that the box is completely gone and she is able to speak her first real word and have voluntary human contact.
The author, Alexandra day, explains in an authors note that she wrote the book to explain the “important role that animals can play in the comforting, balancing, and healing of us humans”(Day i). She also explains that she wrote the book because she worked in many hospitals with rehabilitation dogs and saw first hand the affect they had on the children. I think this helps make the book more believable and makes the reader more likely to believe that this is an accurate description of a person with autism.
This book is a good piece of diverse literature because it gets a conversation going about autism and how it can affect students. However, it does not explain the many different stages and spectrum of autism. There is some explanation about what autism is but only through examples of what the child does that makes her a little different than other students.
The book shows that miracles can happen and that it is important to help children who may be going through tough times. It is also important to remember that not all people with autism would respond in the same way this child did. This would be an important part to explain to children.

Critical review of Flight of a Dove by Alexandra Day

I decided to use this review because it focuses on both the positive and negative aspects of the book I decided to include in my collection. She states that although the pictures are "luminous" they still help convey a powerful and serious message about children with autism and gives insight into how they might feel. An example of this is depicting the girl in the box. This shows how autism is like being in your own world where you can not get out and no one can get in.
I do have to agree that the words are much to difficult for a young child but I think if an adult takes the time to read it to a child and explain it, the child would see the importance, and feel the many emotions that are a part of this picture book.
Where I do not agree is the last statement, "it may be more successful as one of those timeless fables that draws adults hungry for meaning and inspiration, than as a typical children's picture book". To me this sounds like an excuse to not read challenging books about complex topics to children. If done the right way, I think it can be very beneficial for a child to learn about a disease that is affecting more and more people every day.
Dawn Elizabeth Hunt (Children's Literature)
From the author of the delightful "Good Dog, Carl" series comes a book with similarly luminous pictures, but a far more serious message. This is the story of four year-old Betsy, a severely autistic child who finally begins to open up to the world as she watches a dove fly. It is based on the true story of the little French girl told in Why the Wild Things Are, and on Ms. Day's experience with her Rottweiler, Zabala, a therapy dog who accompanied her into many hospitals. This is a very touching story. Ms. Day's fans will find paintings in the same radiant style as in all her previous books. Even the pictures of Betsy before her awakening are beautiful--almost too beautiful. Although Ms. Day uses muted tones and encases Betsy in a gray box, one still has a hard time identifying the child in the pictures with the dark, wooden images painted by the words. The publisher lists the book as being appropriate for ages four to eight, but much of the language is more sophisticated than normally found in a picture book. The first page alone weighs in at a 10.2 grade level on the Flesch-Kincaid readability scale. It is a beautiful book with a beautiful message. But because of the reading level, and because so many adults have enjoyed Ms. Day's earlier books, it may be more successful as one of those timeless fables that draws adults hungry for meaning and inspiration, than as a typical children's picture book. 2004, Farrar Strauss & Giroux,
Hunt, Dawn E. Rev. of Flight of a Dove, by Alexandra Day. Children's Literature.